Sustainable Tourism

The
Wider Caribbean Region is one of the most highly dependent on tourism in the
world. The tourism sector in the Wider Caribbean
Region makes the greatest use of the coastal and marine
resources and as a result not only do the benefits of tourism
impact on the entire economy, but the adverse impacts of
tourism development also have socio-economic implications through the investment
decisions and the ecosystem linkages which adversely affect
other resources.

The goal of the CEN Project was to improve
environmental quality and coastal and marine natural
resource protection in the Wider Caribbean Region, by
promoting the use of environmentally sound practices by
the tourism industry. The Project was completed in the
beginning of 1999, however initiatives that resulted from
the Project have continued to develop through the CEP and other partners.

The following are a few of the
results of the CEN Project:

Assistance
to the Caribbean Action for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) in Puerto Rico. This non-profit organisation
was chartered in 1997 and promotes effective management
of natural resources and provides access to expertise
in sustainable tourism, assisting hotel and tourism operators
in the Caribbean region achieve the goals of Agenda 21
for sustainable development.